Keypoints

Hair loss

As treatments for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy to the head and neck affect the fast-growing cells in the body, patients given these are more likely to experience thinning or the loss of their hair.

With chemotherapy, the risk of hair loss varies widely depending on the type of drug used and how often it is given to patients; ie, whether it is given every week or every three weeks. In addition, not all patients react to a particular drug in the same way, with some losing all the hair on their body and others none at all.

As it can be quite a shock to suddenly start losing hair, it is important for patients to discuss with their lymphoma team before starting treatment the likelihood that their treatment will cause the loss or thinning of their hair. Nevertheless, although it may be softer, a slightly different colour and is likely to be curlier than before, nearly all patients find that their hair grows back once they have stopped treatment. Most people have a normal amount of hair again after 6 months.

If the patient does lose their hair, and they feel uncomfortable with the idea of being bald, the majority decide to wear a wig that is a close match to their original colour and style. Patients can either use wigs provided by the hospital, or those from professional wig suppliers. Some patients prefer to wear hats, hair bands, scarves or bandanas. So that the wig can be matched as closely as possible to the patient's own hair, it is a good idea for them to visit a wig supplier before they have lost all of their hair.

To prevent the loss of hair, the lymphoma team may occasionally suggest trying cooling the scalp using a cold cap. This reduces the temperature of the blood vessels during treatment so that the blood flow to the scalp is temporarily slowed down. The stops the chemotherapy from being able to reach the hair follicles. However, clinical experience and results are rather mixed with this procedure and it's not offered everywhere.